Footwear



Jane, 1945. c. o. WALPER- 2,380,349

FOOTWEAR Filed July 9, 1945 Patented July 10, 1945 uN TEo states I PAT ENroF 1 I Curry Ora Walp'en Kitchcner, Ontario, Canada 1 immigrants 9; 1943, Serial No.494,095

sclai s, (ores-'10) This invention relates to improvementsin the.

the ground'tilting them insuch a manner that,

the inside edge of. the heel and the'projecting tongue fell considerablylower thantheoutsideedge, th tongue was reshaped to remove the tip from its former median 'position toone substan-. tially forward of the inner corner of the breast of the heel and also by deflecting the'planeof the tongue inwardly and downwardly, M

It has now been found,-however, that considering those persons who tilt their feet-laterally' and toe out when walking, and even in many other instances, the tongue maybe dispensed with entirely and the tread portion of the heelpeculiarly shaped to balance theabsence of the tongue.

The principal object of the present invention,

therefore,'is to provide a heel having' a; certain malformed or irregular tread portion, or. more particularly the bottom'surface thereofforthe purpose of economically compensating the absence of the tongue which was common to the structures in both of the previous disclosures.

A second important object is to provide means for balancing the malformed or. irregular'he'el tain instances where one as well is desirable.

in accordance with the present invention show-f ing the inside or right side of the heel of an articleof footwear for wear on the left foot.

I Figure 2 is an opposite side view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

-Figure 3 is a rear View of shown in Figures 1 and 2. s

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the same.

- Figure 5 is a bottom view of the heel. .Figure 6 is a side elevation showing a modified the structure as form of the present invention. I

,ment of the foot.

Still another important object is to "provide a device of the kind specified which will be simple, effective, and inexpensiveto produce and purchase, v With the above and other objects in view-as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention 'con sists in general of certainfnovel detai1s"of"con-" struction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed. j w

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a heel constructed I Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 3 as withv the; heel solidly on the ground.

gFigure 8 is a side elevation similar to Figure 1' the-tread portion of the heel of a left article of footwear here shown typicallyin the form of that impervious protective covering for, shoes commonly known as rubbers or galoshes. The shank portion of the footwear is indicated by the numeral II, and it will be understood while the heel hereshown is for the left foot the parts hereinafter described are applicable to the likearticle as worn on the right foot and which with the left forms a pair, but will obviously occur in reverse arrangement. h

' r In the second previously mentioned application the tonguewhich extendedforwardlyfrofn the base portion of the breast of the heel wasdescribed as being twisted to form a downwardly andinwardly directed dec1ivity,,the bottom of the tongue being substantially even with the'corresponding surface of the heel tread, and the point or'tip of the tongue lying roughly forward of the inner corner of the breast of the heel. The tip offthe tongue was therefore the common destination 'of the water adhering to the various surfaces of'the heel andfrom which it was cast or kicked in line'with the path of the forward move- It has developed, however, that in manyine stances the tongue and also the ledge typical of both former disclosuresgmay be entirely eliminated, and the tread portion of the heel instead malformed or'misshaped to provide a combined inwardly and forwardly directed declivity I2 in the bottom of the treadportion'as will be clearly'discernable by reference to'Figures 1,2 and 3.

Such heel tread formation orperh'aps more properly speaking, malformation of'the heel tread, will lar formation of the tongue as it is described in the second previous application.

P K 7 T as is the tip of the tongue in both previous dis closures.

In order that when the heel is put to the ground under the weight of the wearer the foot will notbe thrown out of normal vertical posture, the thickness of the sloping portion of the tread is preferably built down by a pie-cut shaped layer M which is formed of relatively elastic coinpressible material, but nevertheless wear-resisting, which is squeezed up against the more solid or relatively resistible material when under load and which elastically re-expands to normal thickness on the shifting of the load to the opposite foot during the act of walking.

In some instances it may be found preferable to build down the heel by means of an elastic piecut wedge I5, according to Figure 6, rather than by means of the similarly shaped layer M, so that the entire heel tread surface will be characteristically homogeneous. Usually this layer or the wedge will be necessary to promote comfort to the wearer in walking by affording a substantially level engagement of the'heel with the walked on surface. However, in the case ofpersons having the abnormality of toeing out and "inclining their feet and hence very often even putting them to the walked on surface in a tilted position, the layer or wedge can be conveniently dispensed with without causing discomfort.

In Figure 8 is shown a heel similarly constructed with a declivitous layer and combined with a tongue |8.- In such instances where 'a tongue isessential or desirable, the sloping plane of the heel tread at the breast line of the heel imparts to the-tongue a more pronounced inwardly and downwardly directed 'declivity on both its surfaces in order that the general trend.

of the heel tread formation is carried throughout the tongue.

There has thus'loeen provided a simple and'efiicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor'change may be made in 'the form and construction of the invention without departing from the'material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine'the in'-' vention to the-exact form herein shown and de-' scribed, but it is desired to include all such as inner forward heel corner; whereby a water-'cas'ting tip is formed 'in'conjunction with 'said' sur-' face'iat saidcorne'r at alo'wer level than the remainder'of said surface,'the built downportion of the heel tread portion being formed 'by"mea'ns of "a layer of elastically compressible material.

'2. Inaheel for an article-of footwear-and ineluding a heel tread portion, said portion having in its tread surface a malformation consisting of aninwardly and forwardly directed declivity formed by building down said portion toward the inner forward heel corner, whereby a water-casting tip is formed in conjunction with said surface at said corner at a lower level than the remainder of said surface, the built down portion of the heel tread portion being formed by means of an inserted wedge of-elastically compressible material.

3'. In a heel for an article of footwear including a heel tread portion, said portion being formed with a gradual inwardly and forwardly directed normal declivity whereby a lower level -water castingtipis formed at the inner forward corner of the heel, the declined tread portion being adapted to compress to a relatively more level position under the weight of the wearer of the footwear and to elastically expand .to its normal formon suspension of 'thewei'ght. i

4. In a heel'forian' article'o'f footwear includ ing a heel tread ortion, said portion being formed with'a' gradual inwardly and "forwardly 5. In a heel for an article of-footwea'r'incl-ud ing a heel tread portion, said portion being formed with a gradual inwardly-and forwardly directed normal declivity whereby-atlower level water casting tip is formed-atthe' iiinerforward corner of the heel, the declinedtread;portion being adapted to deform to a relatively more level position under the weight of the'w'earerof 4d the footwear and to elastically return to its 'n'ormal form on suspension or the weight.

6. In a heel for an article of footwear including a heel tread portion, said" portion being formed with a gradual inwardly andforwardly directed normal declivit whereby a lower level water casting tip is formed at the inner forward corner of the heel{ the declined tread portion being adapted to dformto a relatively more level position under "the weight of th'e wearerof on suspension of the weighfl j I h v 7. In a heel 'fonan article of'ff "otwearf'said heel having a tread member, 'themember being formed with a gradual inwardly andiforwardly directed normal declivity whereby' aflow level water casting tip is formed at the inner forwa rd corner of said 'member the declined-member being adapted 'to deform to a *rel'atively more level position under the weight ofthe wearer of the footwear and to elastically return to its normaliform on suspension of the weight.

8. In a heel for an article ;of, footwear, said heel having a tread member, the member being formed with a gradual inwardly and forwardly directed normal declivity whereby a low level watercastingti-pis formed at the inner forward cornerfofj said memberythe declinedmember being adapted to deform to a relativelymorelevel position under the weight of the "wearer bf the footwear and to return to its normal form on suspension of the weight.

the footwear and toreturnFtO its -normalffform comment a 

